Retrospect
by PurpleArmadillo
Summary: Sly reflects on the identity of the Black Knight. MAJOR spoilers for Thieves In Time.


**A/N: **Beware of MAJOR spoilers for _Thieves In Time! _I'll include my own thoughts on the Black Knight at the end.

**Disclaimer:** All rights belong to Sony, Sucker Punch, and Sanzaru Games.

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The master thief let out a heavy sigh as he perched in the branches of an enormous oak. The great canopy sheltered him from the unrelenting downpour while also concealing him from the robotic guards that prowled the medieval village far below. Sly propped his cane up against the oak's trunk, and took a moment to wring out his waterlogged tail. Once that was done, he turned his gaze upward, where the pale crescent moon could be spotted through the damp leaves.

His team was stuck in a tricky situation, the raccoon reflected. He wasn't quite sure what their next plan of action should be. Usually Bentley was the one to concoct all the brilliant plans, but no one could convince the brainiac turtle to come out from his shell. It was awful, seeing his friend so upset. So crushed.

Just mere hours ago, things had been completely normal – well, aside from the whole time travel aspect. His gang had been working together to sabotage the schemes of this mysterious "Black Knight" tyrant. It was nothing new, really. They'd foiled criminal masterminds countless times before, all across the globe. India, Paris, Prague, Canada, China… But then Bentley had made a startling discovery during one of their missions.

The Black Knight and Penelope. They were the same person.

It turned out she had betrayed them all by selling Bentley's time machine blueprints to Le Paradox. And now she was even helping that rotten skunk erase the Cooper legacy from history. Not for money, supposedly. But for love. She did it for Bentley. Apparently, Sly was holding the turtle back from his full potential. With Sly's family out of the picture there wouldn't be any Cooper Gang "nonsense" about honorable thieves who only stole from other criminals.

The logic seemed so tangled and confusing to Sly at first. Afterall, Penelope had once been a trusted friend… hadn't she?

But looking back and pondering deeper…well, the master thief wasn't so certain anymore.

Sure, the mouse had partnered up with his team years ago, but only because they'd hired her. And even then, she'd made them prove their worth in a dangerous dogfight competition in Holland before she considered their offer. Penelope only worked "for the best," she had claimed. Disguised as the intimidating "Black Baron", she'd engaged Sly in a fistfight hundreds of feet in the air on the wing of an airplane. Just one slip or misplaced step and he could've plummeted to his death. She hadn't held back, despite that, and threw all her strength into each punch and every tackle.

Sly wondered…had Penelope ever seen him or Murray as true friends? Or had she viewed them strictly as temporary allies? He recalled the brief crush she'd had on him way back in China. But eventually, all that had changed when Bentley rescued her from the treacherous pirate, LeFwee. The turtle had shown enormous courage that day on the high seas – despite the odds, the danger, and his handicap, he'd been the first on deck to save her. It was that moment when she'd realized Bentley was the one.

The rest, as the saying goes, was history.

Bentley and Penelope had spent as much time as they could together when they weren't on a mission. They would converse for hours straight into the night, talking about theorems, mathematical equations, and technological terminology that no one else could follow. It had been deeply touching to see how much the pair loved each other.

Sly's mind drifted back to the present. _Yes_, he finally answered his own question: Bentley was the only one that truly mattered to her. She'd only called Sly and Murray friends because they were Bentley's friends.

The raccoon thief let out a fresh sigh and reached across to snatch up his cane. It was amazing how complicated everything could suddenly become. Penelope's reason for betraying them was her love for Bentley. And now she'd only succeeded in breaking his heart. It was horribly ironic.

Sly stood up on the branch, twirling his cane over the back of his hand before gripping it firmly. A hard look of determination filled his eyes. His thick ringed tail twitched back and forth behind him.

Friend or foe – it didn't really matter in the end. She had to be stopped either way. Penelope didn't share his gang's opinion on honorable thieving. There was no telling what kind of crimes she would commit if her "Operation Overlord" scheme became a reality.

And Bentley…his spirit was so utterly crushed.

Sly could never let anyone hurt his friends and get away with it.

The raccoon tugged the brim of his blue cap down. It was time to formulate a plan of action. If Bentley was still unavailable, then he'd have to do the best he could in his pal's place. With the steely look of determination fixed on his furry muzzle, Sly sprang into the air. He moved from branch to branch with well-practiced precision before dropping silently on the ground at the base of the large oak. Then he was off at a quick pace, creeping through the shadows of the village back towards the safety of the Hideout.

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**A/N:** Feedback is appreciated all always, but not necessary - my only goal here is to make fans think a bit more about the Black Knight plot twist.

It seems the majority of fans really hate what Sanzaru did with the 'turning Penelope evil' thing. I didn't like it too much at first either, but after replaying all the games with my little sis, I starting thinking that maybe it wasn't so far fetched afterall. People are complicated, and friends can turn on each other for crazy reasons sometimes. I'm hoping to make fans think a bit more about it. I'd say I don't see Penelope as having turned evil - evil's a really strong word, and in reality the line between good and evil is often blurred. Just because she worked with Sly's gang doesn't mean she shares their outlook of stealing only from other criminals. I don't know...maybe she simply got jealous of how much time Bentley was spending with his friends instead of with her or something. Love can do crazy things to ya.


End file.
